He drew 19% support in the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll published Sunday, ahead of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker at 15% and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush at 14%

Those three were followed by neurosurgeon Ben Carson at 10%, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz at 9%, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul at 6% each and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio at 5%.

When those surveyed were asked for their second choice, Bush led with 16%, while Carson, Rubio and Trump each had 11% support.

The most consequential finding in the poll, however, was what it means for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who are locked in a three-way battle for the last two spots on the stage in Thursday’s first Republican presidential debate.

Fox, which is hosting the debate, has said the top 10 polling GOP candidates — as of 5 p.m. Tuesday — will be on stage together for a prime-time debate, while the remaining declared candidates will face-off in a 5 p.m. forum.

The NBC/WSJ survey shows Christie, Kasich and Perry each at 3% support, just two days away from Fox News announcing the names of the 10 candidates who make the cut for the prime-time Cleveland debate.

The survey follows two others — a CNN/ORC poll and one from Quinnipiac University — that also showed those three names in the 9th, 10th and 11th positions.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum each earned just 1% support, and businesswoman Carly Fiorina, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, former New York Gov. George Pataki and former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore all failed to reach 1%.

]]>http://whotv.com/2015/08/02/poll-trump-leads-walker-bush/feed/0150720071754-donald-trump-july-18-2015-exlarge-teasewhonwilderAmerica’s Act II: Will the Economy Comeback?http://whotv.com/2015/08/02/americas-act-ii-will-the-economy-comeback/
http://whotv.com/2015/08/02/americas-act-ii-will-the-economy-comeback/#commentsSun, 02 Aug 2015 20:52:43 +0000http://whotv.com/?p=259951]]>NEW YORK, New York — America’s economy and stocks took some punches earlier this year. Now the stage is set for a comeback.

“The second half is going to be better for the economy and the market than the first half,” says Art Hogan, managing director at Wunderlich Securities in New York.

Hogan and other experts see the economy and stocks picking up momentum, despite a slew of headwinds. The S&P 500 has only risen 2.2% so far this year. Hogan forecasts the S&P 500 gaining 8% by the end of the year.

What’s driving this optimism? There are already some encouraging signs. The economy grew 2.3% between April and June compared to a year ago.

While everyone from Wall Street to Main Street would prefer to see growth closer to 3%, it’s still a solid number. The Commerce Department also revised up growth between January and March, which was previously thought to be in the red.

Those two positive indicators clear the runway for America to pick up more speed.

Jobs and salaries are key: The real number to watch is the jobs report that comes out Friday. Anything above 200,000 jobs added in July will be solid. Above 250,000 would be especially strong.

The U.S. economy is nearing full employment with the unemployment rate down to 5.3%. Yet while more people have been able to get jobs, wages aren’t growing much. It’s holding the economy back.

Job growth might actually slow down in the second half, but that’s not a bad sign, says Joseph Lake, global economist at The Economist Intelligence Unit. Slower job growth would indicate the labor market is close to hitting its full potential.

That’s important for wages. When the job market nears full employment, the bargaining power for a wage hike gradually shifts from the employer to the employee.

Most economists, Lake included, predict that wage growth will pick up. Once that happens, people are likely to be more confident and that leads them to go out and buy more.

Consumer spending makes up the majority of U.S. economic growth. The latest data out last week showed that consumer spending rose in the second quarter.

Where are American shoppers?: Investors will get a good read on how American shoppers are doing this week as a slew of retailers and restaurants report earnings. Companies as diverse as Disney, Ralph Lauren, Wendy’s and Fitbit report this week, and their executives often make comments on their outlook for the rest of the year, including the critical holiday season.

Consumer confidence is down since the beginning of this year, but recent history suggests it could improve soon. Last year, consumer confidence barely changed between January and July. Then it surged, hitting its highest point since 2007 last December.

Even with the dip, the current confidence level in the U.S. is much higher than it has been in recent years, according to the University of Michigan’s survey.

“The consumer should be a leader in this recovery right now,” says Ethan Harris, global economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. “We’re not talking about a boom, but we’re talking about a period of modestly above-trend growth.”

Another indication America is heading in the right direction: A Federal Reserve rate hike could arrive in 6 weeks.

The big moment could come September 17: Most experts believe the Fed will raise its key interest rate in September for the first time in more than 9 years. It would be a huge vote of confidence from the Fed on the economy’s health.

A rate hike won’t be drastic at first. The initial increase is likely to be around 0.25%, if that. But the pace of hikes — not the timing of the first one — is more important, experts say.

Investors always get nervous about change. Higher interest rates increase companies’ costs when they want to borrow money, which generally shrinks businesses’ appetite for spending. The domino effect could lead to less growth for companies.

But Hogan, the market strategist, points out that Corporate America has already weathered a storm of headwinds this year: strong dollar, Greece, geopolitical crisis, China’s stock market plunge. Companies will still pull in strong earnings after a Fed rate hike, he argues.

“This is a better time for the U.S. economy than any year since 2007,” says Lake, the economist.

Jericho the lion is alive and well and roaming his park habitat in Zimbabwe, the Oxford University researcher tracking the lion confirmed on Sunday.

Brent Stapelkamp dismissed reports that the lion had been killed, saying a GPS device on Jericho didn’t suggest anything out of the ordinary. Furthermore, the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, which told CNN and other media Saturday that poachers had killed Jericho, retracted those statements on Sunday.

The head of the conservation task force, Johnny Rodrigues, said in a new statement that the erroneous information was the result of mistaken identity. Rodrigues said that another lion had been killed, something that CNN cannot immediately verify.

As proof of life, Oxford University tweeted a photo of Jericho, taken by Stapelkamp early Sunday morning.

The erroneous reports of Jericho’s death elicited strong reactions on the heels of the killing of his ally, Cecil. Cecil’s death at the hands of a lion hunter sparked international outrage because he was a protected animal. Zimbabwe is seeking the extradition of American dentist Walter Palmer, who is accused — along with at least two others — of illegally hunting the lion, authorities said.

“We apologize for reporting that (Jericho) had died but were confident that our sources were in fact correct,” the conservation task force said in a Facebook post Sunday.

Cecil and Jericho have been referred to as brothers, though David Macdonald, director of the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit at Oxford, said the lions were not blood relatives.

“They were not related, though their bond was one close to brotherhood,” Macdonald said in a statement. “Male lions often form what are termed co-operative ‘coalitions’ with unrelated males in order to better compete with other males for territories and prides.”

Jericho is apparently caring for and defending Cecil’s cubs, and the survivability of those cubs would have been imperiled if Jericho had indeed been killed.

Cecil, who was killed in early July, mated with about six lionesses and had about 24 cubs, Rodrigues has said.

The Prairie du Chien Police Department was called to the Champion Boat Landing at approximately 8 a.m. on a report of a possible drowning.

Officers were told a 54-year-old Prairie du Chien man went under the fishing pier located at the landing. A witness saw the man enter the water and swim around the pier. However, after a short amount of time, the witness located the man submerged in the water, according to the Prairie du Chien Police Department.

Police were able to pull the man out of the water with help from a citizen who was fishing nearby, before taking him to Crossing Rivers Health where he was pronounced dead.

Previous health history is believed to be a factor in the drowning. The name of the victim is not being released at this time.

A civilian used the officer’s radio to notify police about the shooting, she said.

Bolton, who joined the force in October 2010, was taken to hospital in critical condition. He later died.

This is the third time a Memphis police officer has been killed in the past four years, Memphis Police Director Toney Armstrong said.

“It doesn’t get any easier. This is a very difficult time, not only for me as director, but for all the officers you see standing behind me,” he told reporters early Sunday morning.

“And (it’s) a difficult time for our city as well. So I ask that you give us the respect that we need … and the space that we need to grieve, and the time that we need to prepare to lay our brother to rest.”

The shooting follows a series of incidents across the country in which police have been accused of using excessive force during traffic stops.

Former University of Cincinnati Police Officer Ray Tensing faces charges of murder and voluntary manslaughter for shooting Samuel DuBose in the head during a traffic stop July 19. DuBose’s death reignited a familiar chant across the country: “Black lives matter.”

It’s unclear what led to Bolton’s shooting in Memphis, but the police chief said it highlights the risks police officers face every day.

“We say so often … do black lives matter? And at the end of the day, we have to ask ourselves, do all lives matter — regardless of race, creed, color, economic status, what profession that person holds? All lives matter,” Armstrong said.

“This is just a reminder of how dangerous this job is.”

CNN’s Shawn Nottingham and Christine Sever contributed to this report.

DES MOINES, Iowa – Three Polk County deputies were injured while making an arrest at a BP station Sunday morning.

The incident occurred at approximately 7:30 a.m. at the station located at 5120 NE 14th Street. The report was in reference to two intoxicated males harassing the store clerk, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

Upon arrival, one of the suspects, 22-year-old Matthew Hinton of Richton, Mississippi, had a valid warrant out of Mississippi for driving while under the influence of narcotics.

As one of the deputies tried to place Hinton under arrest, he began fighting the deputy. Hinton was able to break away and take off running as the deputy suffered an arm injury.

Two other deputies caught up to Hinton behind the BP where Hinton continued to resist. A taser was used by the deputies, but was ineffective as Hinton pulled the out the probes in two different instances.

Ultimately, the deputies were able to place Hinton into custody and charge him with the Mississippi warrant and three counts of interference with official acts causing serious injury. The other original male who was with Hinton caused no issues and returned home.

One deputy suffered a broken arm and two deputies suffered abrasions. All three deputies were treated and released from the hospital.

Pat Rynard, former Democratic campaign staffer and founder of IowaStartingLine.com

and Craig Robinson, former Republican party staffer and founder of TheIowaRepublican.com

Hillary Clinton says she has changed her view on marriage, and has embraced same sex marriage in her second run for President. We learn why she could not accept full marriage equality during her first run for the presidency in 2008, and what changed her mind this time around.

Meanwhile, the Insiders panel weigh in on another issue where Clinton won’t take a stance at all.

]]>http://whotv.com/2015/08/02/the-insiders-rynard-and-robinson-part-1/feed/0whostaffwriterTHE INSIDERS: Rynard and Robinson, Part 2http://whotv.com/2015/08/02/the-insiders-rynard-and-robinson-part-2/
http://whotv.com/2015/08/02/the-insiders-rynard-and-robinson-part-2/#commentsSun, 02 Aug 2015 14:34:29 +0000http://whotv.com/?p=259418]]>Planned Parenthood has become a flash point in the 2016 presidential race. An undercover video claims to show top Planned Parenthood officials selling body parts taken from aborted fetuses, something the organization denies . In the meantime, public attention to this claim has been lukewarm as opposed to the hoopla surrounding a lion killed in Africa!

]]>http://whotv.com/2015/08/02/the-insiders-rynard-and-robinson-part-2/feed/0whostaffwriterTHE INSIDERS: Rynard and Robinson, Part 3http://whotv.com/2015/08/02/the-insiders-rynard-and-robinson-part-3/
http://whotv.com/2015/08/02/the-insiders-rynard-and-robinson-part-3/#commentsSun, 02 Aug 2015 14:33:20 +0000http://whotv.com/?p=259416]]>It is August and we are six months until Iowans decide who wins the Caucuses. The Insiders panel examine who has the early edge and who is falling behind.

]]>http://whotv.com/2015/08/02/the-insiders-rynard-and-robinson-part-3/feed/0whostaffwriterTHE INSIDERS: Rynard and Robinson, Part 4http://whotv.com/2015/08/02/the-insiders-rynard-and-robinson-part-4/
http://whotv.com/2015/08/02/the-insiders-rynard-and-robinson-part-4/#commentsSun, 02 Aug 2015 14:32:11 +0000http://whotv.com/?p=259414]]>It was No, No and No from Governor Terry Branstad on three money matters that all had previously been part of a bipartisan legislative compromise.

No extra 56 million for Iowa’s public schools.

No to the 6 million to keep Mt Pleasant’s mental health facility open.

No to the 8.8 million for community colleges and public universities.

The Insiders panel discuss the fallout of these decisions on both Iowans and the Governor.

]]>http://whotv.com/2015/08/02/the-insiders-rynard-and-robinson-predictions/feed/0whostaffwriterTHE INSIDERS: Rynard and Robinson, Bonus Segmenthttp://whotv.com/2015/08/02/the-insiders-rynard-and-robinson-bonus-segment/
http://whotv.com/2015/08/02/the-insiders-rynard-and-robinson-bonus-segment/#commentsSun, 02 Aug 2015 14:30:02 +0000http://whotv.com/?p=259645]]>The panel discusses the Trump campaign momentum in this current election cycle and wonder if it is sustainable.]]>http://whotv.com/2015/08/02/the-insiders-rynard-and-robinson-bonus-segment/feed/0whostaffwriterState Baseball: Southeast Polk Does it Again, Rams Make it Back to Back Titleshttp://whotv.com/2015/08/01/state-baseball-southeast-polk-does-it-again-rams-make-it-back-to-back-titles/
http://whotv.com/2015/08/01/state-baseball-southeast-polk-does-it-again-rams-make-it-back-to-back-titles/#commentsSun, 02 Aug 2015 03:56:10 +0000http://whotv.com/?p=259924]]>DES MOINES – 1 year after winning their first state baseball championship in school history, the Southeast Polk Rams made it back to back titles Saturday night.

SEP beat Iowa City West 6-2, in a rematch of last years state title game.

The Rams came in as the 5-seed, and like last year, were not the favorites to win it all, but they got hot at the right time.

Asia Travis is helping raise money for backpacks and school supplies for low-income students. She sold cookies and lemonade, and raised about $50 to have several school supplies donated.

Asia says she got the idea to give back to the community from her mother, a local anti-violence activist.

Calvetta Williams says cutting down the violence begins with keeping kids in school.

“Because it’s getting them off the street, we encourage children to go to school,” Williams said. “There is more to life than standing on a corner or doing the wrong things. We encourage the parents to get involved, kids look up to their parents.”

The supplies will be handed out to anyone who needs them on Aug. 22 at Evelyn K Davis Park from 3-9 p.m.

“I think life prepares you for that,” Carson said Saturday. “I’m not going to fill my head with advice from everybody who thinks they know how to win. Rather, I’m just going to speak from the experience and true beliefs that I have.”

]]>http://whotv.com/2015/08/01/ben-carson-reaches-out-to-iowa-voters-at-des-moines-farmers-market/feed/0whostaffwriterHinterland Music Festival Sees High Turnout Despite Venue Changehttp://whotv.com/2015/08/01/hinterland-music-festival-sees-high-turnout-despite-venue-change/
http://whotv.com/2015/08/01/hinterland-music-festival-sees-high-turnout-despite-venue-change/#commentsSat, 01 Aug 2015 21:41:22 +0000http://whotv.com/?p=259877]]>ST. CHARLES, Iowa – Though Iowa may be a fly-over state, the organizers behind the first annual Hinterland Music Festival say it’s not an overlooked destination for live music, and they’ve got 16,000 attendees from 44 states and five countries to back their argument up.

The two-day event was originally planned to take place at Water Works Park in Des Moines, but due to flooding earlier this week, the venue was suddenly changed to the Avenue of the Saints Ampitheater in St. Charles. About half an hour from the Metro, organizer Sam Summers says the impact the sudden change could potentially have had on the turnout was worrisome.

“It was like taking a year’s worth of planning and starting over with about three days to do it,” he said.

But the planners behind Hinterland secured a back-up venue in St. Charles quickly, and thanks to nine free shuttles taking festival-goers to and from festival from Des Moines, Summers says the event barely saw a loss.

“We probably refunded about 400 tickets,” he said. “We had about 6,900 tickets sell at the door Friday night, and tonight is expected to be even bigger.”

With a line-up of folksy, indie bluegrass artists like Old Crow Medicine Show, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Brandi Carlile, Future Islands and TV on the Radio, Summers says people wanted a festival like this where they could get a lot of music in one place.

“We’ve played a lot of these artists on a smaller scale in Des Moines at Wooly’s and at the Simon Estes Ampitheater along the river,” he said. “This was kind of the natural progression for Des Moines.”

The live music scene in Des Moines has been growing for several years now; just last month, the annual 80/35 music festival held in downtown Des Moines reported its largest turnout in its history. As people from all over the U.S. and the world come to Hinterland this weekend, Summers says it speaks volumes about Iowa’s potential as a musical destination.

“You think of the coasts as where people are going for live music festivals,” he said. “But there’s a desire for it right here in Iowa, and I think the turnout here shows that.”

The final show plays at 9:30 p.m. Saturday evening. Tickets can still be purchased at the door. For more information on parking and tickets, visit the festival website.

]]>http://whotv.com/2015/08/01/hinterland-music-festival-sees-high-turnout-despite-venue-change/feed/041.288326 -93.80938941.288326-93.809389Hinterland Music FestivalwhowchandlerIowa State Penitentiary Moves to New Locationhttp://whotv.com/2015/08/01/iowa-state-penitentiary-moves-location/
http://whotv.com/2015/08/01/iowa-state-penitentiary-moves-location/#commentsSat, 01 Aug 2015 20:24:51 +0000http://whotv.com/?p=259860]]>FORT MADISON, Iowa – The Iowa State Penitentiary has moved to a new location.

On Saturday, there was a very successful statewide effort to move a total of 507 offenders from the previous locale at #3 John Bennett Drive to 2011 330th Avenue, which is two miles northwest.

The first round of offenders were unloaded at the new facility at 6:47 a.m. Saturday. Each bus load carried approximately 40 offenders. By 12:45 p.m., all of the offenders had been moved.

Five various Iowa prisons assisted the Iowa State Penitentiary, as well as a number of personnel from area authorities. At least 215 people were involved in the move, according to an Iowa State Penitentiary press release.

“This is a historic day for the Department of Corrections and the State of Iowa. There was a collaborative effort between the Iowa Department of Corrections and area law enforcement personnel. Together over 500 offenders were moved from the oldest operating facility west of the Mississippi to the new state-of-art facility to ensure public safety,” said Jerry Bartruff, Department of Corrections.

This plan had been in the works for the last two years and there were a number of security measures taken. The main task throughout the moving of offenders was to ensure public safety.

A firefighter battling one of the large wildfires burning in California died in the line of duty this week, the U.S. Forest Service said.

David Ruhl of Rapid City, South Dakota, lost his life fighting the Frog Fire in far northern California’s Modoc National Forest, near Adin. Rescuers found his body Friday morning after searching for him through the night, the Forest Service said.

Ruhl, survived by a wife and two children, had been on temporary assignment in the area since June. The Forest Service didn’t release details about his death, adding that it was under investigation.

In all, 9,000 firefighters worked 24 large fires Saturday in California, where a four-year drought has created ideal conditions for a wildfires, said the state agency Cal Fire.

In fact, thousands of lightning strikes since Thursday ignited hundreds of small wildfires, but those thunderstorms brought little rain, authorities said, and the smaller fires became part of larger fire complexes.

Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency Friday to help gather additional resources to fight the statewide fires. The California National Guard has sent nine helicopters to help quell the flames.

The fires ranged in size. The deadly Frog Fire, for example, consumed at least 800 acres since it was spotted Thursday. Among the bigger blazes, however, was the Rocky Fire that burned 22,500 acres in Lake County, and it raged uncontrollably Saturday, with containment only at 5%, authorities said.

50,000 acres scorched in 2 counties

Cal Fire says most of the fires are over 60% contained. However, the land damage has been substantial in some cases. Fires in Southern California’s San Bernardino County and northern California’s Alpine county have incinerated nearly 50,000 acres.

The Rocky Fire in northern California has destroyed 28 structures and put another 6,100 under threat, said Dominic Polito, spokesman for firefighters battling the flames. At least 1,000 people were under a mandatory evacuation order, Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said earlier.

The fire’s location in steep terrain is making work difficult for the more than 2,000 firefighters assigned to it.

In some areas, firefighters were surrounding homes to defend them as the fire passes, Polito said.

Some Lake County residents are carrying on as usual amid the precarious conditions.

“We can see the smoke and it appears to be blowing near us but there are no evacuations here that I know of. We are open for business and hoping the wind blows the other way because we have two tournaments tomorrow,” said Ted Mattila of Buckingham Golf and Country Club in Kelseyville.

The fire had been moving toward west toward some towns, but cool offshore winds Friday night into Saturday were pushing it back to the east, Polito said.

“But with the cool air in the night, it is going to the east now, and we’re hoping that it stays going that way for a little while,” Polito said Saturday morning.

Record drought

California’s record-setting drought, entering its fourth year, has “turned much of the state into a tinderbox,” Gov. Brown said.

Temperatures in Sacramento and other areas of northern California, where many of the fires are located, have topped 100 degrees recently. And while temperatures are cooling this weekend in Lake County, “conditions are so dry from the drought that won’t do much to stop the fire,” Berlant said. His department is urging extra caution for residents and visitors.